


You Plus Me (Equals World War 3)

by Junchenny



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 19:36:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11835606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junchenny/pseuds/Junchenny
Summary: Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are rival singers, until their labels decide to debut them as a duo for a project. Cue pranks, awkward meetings and bickering galore. But in the end, could their shared passion for music and the fact that they may have more in common than they thought, be enough to overcome their rivalry?





	You Plus Me (Equals World War 3)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Just wanted to say a huge thank you to whoever made this prompt, it was a lot of fun to write and I hope I did it justice. This is my first ever baeksoo fic (I'm a sucker for baeksoo so when I saw this fest I just had to join lol) and I was really nervous doing this but I hope it turned out alright. It was a pretty long journey but I'm so happy to finally see it finished and a part of this fest. Hopefully you guys like it, enjoy!

“Hyung, I want to adopt a puppy.”

Junmyeon sighed and turned to look at Baekhyun blinking nonchalantly back at him, his fluffy fringe partially covering his eyes.

“A puppy?”

“Yeah! I saw this really cute puppy a few days ago. You know Park Chanyeol right? I did the show Dumb and Dumber with him? He just got this really cute puppy and now I want one too.” 

“Baekhyun-ah, how exactly do you plan on taking care of this puppy when you’re so busy?” 

“A puppy-sitter, obviously.” 

Junmyeon pursed his lips and looked out of the window. 

Byun Baekhyun was currently en route with his manager, Junmyeon, to a CF shooting for some brand _(it was either shoes or a drink, or both, fuck if Baekhyun knew man_ ). 

With only 2 hours of sleep the previous night and about 174 things lined up in his schedule for the day, the last thing Baekhyun was going to bother with was remembering the little details. 

“I guess. But we’ll have to see.” 

“Oh come on Hyung, just imagine, a cute little puppy running around. It’ll be so fluffy and-“

Junmyeon rubbed his temples as Baekhyun continued cooing on about the exact fluff to cuteness ratio of a puppy, inevitably tuning him out as he had learnt to do over the years, for the sake of his own sanity.

“Woof woof!”

_What the actual fuck?_

Junmyeon jumped, slapping his forehead as Baekhyun actually started to bark like a fucking puppy.

_Every deity out there, give him strength._

“Anyway Hyung, could you switch on the radio please?”

Junmyeon never failed to be amazed at how Baekhyun’s brain worked, jumping themes and topics just randomly out of nowhere.

_Then again, that’s what made Baekhyun…well…Baekhyun._

The first station that came on was playing his most recent release, making the young man grin.

“Hey, this station has good taste, let’s listen to this one.”

As his own voice crooned through the car, the real Baekhyun sang along with his radio self, belting out high notes effortlessly which on one hand, impressed his driver and Junmyeon, but also managed to make them just a little deaf.

If there was one thing Baekhyun was, it was loud.

By the end of the song, he finished off on a long but soft note and sighed in satisfaction once it was over.

“Not bad, not bad. This kid’s got a good song. Decent voice too. Oh  yes, he’s going places.”

Junmyeon rolled his eyes, but a faint smile still graced his lips.

_Typical._

“And that was the nation’s heartthrob, Byun Baekhyun with his latest hit, Dreaming of Home. Yes, he never fails to deliver only the highest quality of vocals and emotions in every song, which is no wonder why he is deemed the Singing Prince of South Korea.”

Junmyeon could just see Baekhyun’s head inflate like the balloon that it was as the radio host sang his praises.

“Coming up next, we have an exclusive interview with the hottest new idol in town, whose debut skyrocketed him to instant success within just a few months, the musical prodigy, Do Kyungsoo!”

_Uh Oh._

Junmyeon grimaced and looked at Baekhyun in the rear view mirror, who was just scowling at the radio.

Reaching over to change the station, Junmyeon stopped at Baekhyun’s interruption.

“No it’s okay Hyung, I wanna listen to this.”

“Baekhy-“

“No no, let’s hear about the great Kyungsoo.”

Junmyeon rubbed his forehead, knowing that this was probably not going to end well.

Things never ended well whenever Kyungsoo, also known as Baekhyun’s greatest rival, was brought up.

Do Kyungsoo had only debuted a year ago, but was already on-par with Baekhyun’s level of fame. With his quiet charm and soulful voice, it was no mystery how popular he was and how successful he was becoming.

_No mystery to everyone else but Baekhyun._

Baekhyun was never one to be competitive or bother about other singers in the industry, he usually only focused on himself.

_But Do Kyungsoo…_

After his debut, more opportunities seemed to be going to him, and less to Baekhyun. From music show awards to movie roles, Do Kyungsoo was becoming more and more of a threat to Baekhyun as time went on.

It wasn’t that Baekhyun was losing his fame. But he wasn’t exactly used to playing a tug-of-war with it, with a rookie of all people. Especially when Baekhyun had to work for years to get the success he achieved, whereas Kyungsoo got it within just a few months.

Not to mention, Baekhyun hated the kind of guy Kyungsoo was.

Quiet.

Reserved.

“Mysterious”.

_Fuck that._

Arrogance.

That was what it was.

Baekhyun always believed in being as warm and open as possible with his fans, but Kyungsoo was the polar opposite, forever closed off from the world.

_Which made him quite the asshole in Baekhyun’s books._

“Kyungsoo-ssi! Welcome welcome, this is your first time on this show right?”

“Yes, hello, I’m Do Kyungsoo and I’m very honoured to be here today.”

“I’m dO kyUNgsOO, aNd i’M VeRY HOnOUReD To bE hErE today! Oooooooh!”

Junmyeon couldn’t help but chuckle at Baekhyun mocking Kyungsoo.

_The salt was high, needless to say._

“Right, Kyungsoo-ssi, so what are you up to these days? We know you recently finished filming for your upcoming movie, Noona, could you tell us a bit about that?”

“Oh yes Mr Do, please do tell us about the movie role you STOLE from Mr Byun.”

_Mhmm, more sodium chloride._

“Filming for Noona was incredible. I got to work with a fantastic cast of amazing actors, all of whom taught me so much and-“

“Psh, look at him.”

Junmyeon and the driver shared a pained grimace as Baekhyun interrupted Kyungsoo and went off.

“Pretending to be all nice and humble, we all know he got the role only because his producer is friends with the director. Besides, I saw his other movie, Pure Romance or some shit like that, his acting isn’t even that good. Not to mention his stupid hair. What the fuck is that all about? Fucking egghead.”

“Oh god,” Junmyeon whispered under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Now Kyungsoo-ssi, as you just heard the new single released by Byun Baekhyun, any thoughts on it?”

Baekhyun went dead quiet in anticipation of the answer, and Junmyeon quickly checked the GPS to see how far they were from the destination before he could jump out and save himself.

“Ah yes, um, I thought the song was alright but to be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed by it and I expected something more because-“

 _FUCK_.

Junmyeon had never in his life switched off a radio so fast.

_Oh boy, here we go…_

_3._

_2._

_1._

“BITCH WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Junmyeon sank in his seat, thinking about how there was still 3.2km more of listening to Baekhyun lose his shit.

 _Joy_.

* * *

“WHAT?” 

Baekhyun felt like someone had just told him the apocalypse was coming and he’d have to sacrifice his gaming PC to the underworld Gods in order to save the world. All of a sudden, it became harder to breathe and Baekhyun had to sit down as he placed a hand over his chest to ensure his heart was still beating.

_Shook did not even begin to describe his current state._

“Hyun-ah, this is a really really good opportunity for not just the company, but for you as well.”

“Do you know how much revenue this will bring in? How much exposure and popularity?”

“Just think about your image. Think about the scale this can get to. Think about the headlines!”

“Aaaaaah, no no no no no NO NO!”

As his whole team took turns throwing out reasons why this was supposed to be a good idea, Baekhyun clapped his hands over his ears and adamantly shook his head, wishing everyone would shut up and go away.

Junmyeon sighed as Baekhyun glared at each and every person in the room surrounding him.

“Baek-“

“I will never ever ever in a million billion infinite years do a collaboration with Do fucking Kyungsoo! NEVER!”

Baekhyun scowled and crossed his arms, remembering how egghead (his very affectionate nickname for Do Kyungsoo), openly mocked his music on live radio so unashamedly.

“Listen Baekhyun, it’s time you stop acting like a petty child and put your personal feelings aside. This is a business decision that the 2 companies have already signed off on. If you think you have a say in this, think again. It’s time for you to start acting like a professional and just get on with it.”

Baekhyun shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, his gaze still set down though his scowl now softened into more of a frown.

He always hated being scolded by his publicist. She was the scariest one on his team, and it was no secret that he pretty much loathed her.

Baekhyun felt the couch dip beside him and then a hand on his shoulder followed by an exasperated sigh.

“I know it won’t be easy, but like she said, you’ve just got to treat this as a purely professional project and get it over and done with. We wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t going to be nothing but a boost to your career.”

“There are other ways to boost my career Hyung.” Baekhyun pointedly replied to Junmyeon, shrugging off his hand.

“Nothing else beats this though. Two of the nation’s hottest singers collaborating, it’ll be explosive.”

“Anyone else but him.”

“He’s the best out there right now-“

Baekhyun shot a glare at Junmyeon, making him quickly cover up his mistake.

“In terms of partnering with you! He’s the best artist for you to collaborate with right now in terms of impact.”

Baekhyun continued to sulk, knowing there was practically no way out of this.

His company had already made the decision, which meant he didn’t really have a choice.

“And who knows, maybe once you work with him you’ll actually like him.”

Baekhyun scoffed.

_What a joke._

* * *

 “Hi Baekhyun sunbaenim, I’m Do Kyungsoo, it’s an honour to meet you.”

Baekhyun almost felt like slapping the little brat’s hand away, but instead forced out the fakest smile he could muster and accepted the handshake.

“Do Kyungsoo, yes, great to finally meet you as well.”

Kyungsoo was much shorter than Baekhyun imagined him to be, which gave him immense satisfaction undoubtedly.

The young star had a small smile and folded his hands behind his back respectfully after they had shaken hands.

_What a fakeass egg._

As the managers of the 2 artists started talking about the collaboration concept and details, with Kyungsoo attentively listening, Baekhyun took the opportunity to analyze his rival.

He was actually much more good-looking in real life than Baekhyun expected him to be, unfortunately.

No matter how much Baekhyun loathed the fellow, he had to admit he was very handsome. For the first time in his life, Baekhyun cursed himself for being gay as he could not believe he was actually attracted for a split second to his greatest enemy.

_No, it’s just my stupid hormones and dumb dick. Remember, he’s an arrogant ass who insulted you and is a threat to everything you’ve worked so hard for._

“What do you think, Hyun?”

Baekhyun snapped out of this thoughts, awkwardly clearing his throat as he realized just how bad he looked now that he was caught not paying attention.

“Um, yeah uh, I think it’s a great concept." 

Kyungsoo didn’t react at all, whereas his manager, Jongdae, quirked a brow and shot Baekhyun a doubtful look. It irked Baekhyun endlessly how Kyungsoo managed to keep a square face the whole time no matter what.

_Did this kid have any emotions or expressions at all?_

Junmyeon sighed and shook his head, going over the papers again.

“Just to summarize, the final concept is that you two are best friends going after the same girl who is also your friend. It’ll be a cheeky, ‘you vs me’ concept and will incorporate a bubbly summer feel. The song has already been chosen, ‘You Plus Me’, and because it’s really upbeat and cheerful, that’s how the concept will be as well. Got it?”

_Upbeat and cheerful with Mr No-Soul?_

Baekhyun chuckled at the thought internally but managed to nod in response to his manager.

“Alright, now let’s move on to schedules. I’ve got a list here for promotion activities that we could possibly engage in and-“

“Coffee!”

One of the interns, whom Baekhyun vaguely remembered was called Jongin, walked into the room with a tray of cups and a huge smile on his face.

Jongin was really cute, but at the same time really hot, which meant Baekhyun was very attracted to him.

But screwing an intern (Mr Cute Butt as he always remembered him as) was below even Baekhyun, even though he would’ve been lying if he said he didn’t consider it several times already.

“A latte for Junmyeon-ssi, an Americano for Jongdae-ssi, an espresso for Kyungsoo-ssi, and an espresso for Baekhyun-ssi as well.”

Jongin smiled warmly as he placed the respective drinks in front of the 2 singers and their managers.

_Espresso?_

Baekhyun was in a particularly sensitive mood today, and for some reason was bothered by the fact that Kyungsoo ordered the same drink as him.

_Copycat._

“Espresso? Sorry Jongin, I asked for a macchiato, not an espresso.”

Jongin frowned and checked his little notebook which was in his shirt pocket. With crinkled brows, Jongin slowly shook his head.

“No Sir, you ordered an espresso. I wrote it right here.”

“Well you must have gotten it wrong, I never drink espresso.”

“What?”

Baekhyun turned to find Kyungsoo with, amazingly, a confused expression on his face.

_Egghead does have emotions!_

“Baekhyun-ssi, you do know that a macchiato is made with espresso right?”

Baekhyun was stunned.

Not only did he not expect Kyungsoo to actually have any emotions or opinions, but the last thing he expected was for the little brat to have the audacity to think he knew more than Baekhyun.

“Um,” Baekhyun let out a laugh, holding himself back from calling Kyungsoo an outright fuckface.

“I’m sorry Kyungsoo-ssi, but I’m pretty sure there’s no espresso in a macchiato. I hate espresso. I would never drink it.”

Somewhere at the back of Baekhyun’s brain, he knew he was not making any sense and talking out of his ass. Unfortunately, the part of his brain that was in charge of talking out of his ass was currently in control, together with the part that just wanted to fight Kyungsoo on everything.

“An espresso is when you grind coffee beans and mix it with hot water, it’s the base for almost all other coffee drinks, including macchiato.”

This.

_BITCH._

Baekhyun couldn’t stop himself from scoffing and folding his arms while leaning forward. In that moment, he looked more like an offended teenage valley girl who was just told her nose looked fake than a grown-up singer with any iota of maturity.

“An espresso is just plain coffee, a macchiato is so much more than that basic shit. Please check your facts before questioning me. Now, Jongin, please get my macchiato WITHOUT any espresso in it.”

Baekhyun indignantly, and rather sassily, turned back to Jongin who looked like a confused 6-year-old, frowning profusely as he watched the argument unfold.

“Um, y-yes Sir, I’ll go check on-“

“You’re literally asking him to get you coffee without any coffee.”

Kyungsoo could not have sounded more condescending, and Baekhyun turned back with a twitch in his eye to find the little egghead looking at him as if he was the biggest idiot in the world.

“Okay okay, I think we’ve talked enough about coffee. Jongin, just go get Baekhyun a macchiato.”

“He’s right.”

Everyone turned to Jongdae, who was reading something intensely on his phone.

“Espresso is coffee brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Espresso is generally thicker than coffee brewed by other methods, has a higher concentration of suspended and dissolved solids, and has crema on top. As a result of the pressurized brewing process, the flavors and chemicals in a typical cup of espresso are very concentrated. Espresso is also the base for other drinks such as a caffè latte, cappuccino, caffè macchiato, caffè mocha, flat white, or caffè Americano.”

_……………._

Jongdae looked up from his phone with a small smirk, placing the device on the table and adjusting his glasses with a sniff.

Kyungsoo was gnawing on his lip and looked around at everyone with those stupid big round eyes.

“Told you so.”

Jongin was scratching the back of his head, wondering why they were all was so fucking obsessed with coffee when everyone knew hot chocolate was the best drink ever.

Junmyeon was rubbing his temples, thinking about how badly he deserved a raise.

And Baekhyun…

Baekhyun was staring into the dark abyss that he now deemed his existence as he slowly felt every part of his soul wither away into nothingness, contemplating how every little action and event in his life brought him to this very moment where he wanted nothing more than to climb Mount Everest and fling himself off from the peak.

“Jongin-ah, please…just get me….my FUCKING. MACCHIATO.”

* * *

Baekhyun loved being in the studio, especially the recording booth. It was like his sanctuary, where he could just do what he loved and what he was best at. No doubt, Baekhyun loved the adrenaline he got whenever he performed on stage, but there was something special about singing in the studio. It just felt more intimate, when there was just him and the music.

“Morning everyone.”

_Ughhhhhhh._

Baekhyun didn’t even hide his grimace as Kyungsoo and his team entered the studio.

“You’re 20 minutes late.”

“I was at a photoshoot and it got delayed, so sorry.”

The truth was, Baekhyun knew very well why Kyungsoo was late, and knew what photoshoot he was talking about.

W Korea was having a special edition to commemorate its anniversary, and they wanted to have the “hottest idol of the moment” on its cover.

Baekhyun was expecting the call for weeks.

_Needless to say, it never came._

“Apologies don’t get you back lost time.” Baekhyun snidely commented, sipping on his iced tea with raised brows.

“You were an hour late for our previous session.”

Peach tea dribbled down Baekhyun’s chin as he choked at Kyungsoo’s comment.

“Yah-"  
“Settle this somewhere else, we have to start this now, come on.” One of the producers interrupted as he started up all the systems and soundboards.

“Could’ve started earlier, not my fault.” Baekhyun grumbled under his breath as he entered the recording booth.

Kyungsoo followed behind him quietly, which made the hairs on the back of Baekhyun’s neck stand for some reason.

“Why are you so close?”

Kyungsoo looked up at Baekhyun with those creepy gigantic eyes, sending a chill down his spine as well as arousing him at the same time.

“The microphone is here. There’s only one microphone. What do you think?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes at the sarcasm, still perturbed that the little man was so close to him that he could practically hear his breathing. He was about to put on his headphones when Kyungsoo suddenly grabbed his arm and pushed him an inch away 

Baekhyun’s eyes widened so much they were practically popping out of his sockets.

“Hey-“

“You weren’t standing on the mark.”

Kyungsoo innocently pointed down at the X on the floor, making Baekhyun realize what he said was true.

“Well- you could just, say so.”

Baekhyun was clearly flustered, but he wasn’t sure if it was from Kyungsoo thinking it was alright to just push him like that, or whether it was from the warmth of his hand that still lingered on his skin.

_Fuck, no, stop thinking like that. Focus._

The two put on their headphones and analyzed the sheets in front of them. Both of them had a solo verse each before the chorus was sung by both and then followed by them switching between each other with ad libs as well.

The melody started, and Kyungsoo started his verse.

Baekhyun would be a fool if he said Kyungsoo wasn’t anything less than a great singer. In terms of technique and style, he was fantastic. He also had excellent control over his stability and breathing, meaning he could master both powerful and soft tones.

As Kyungsoo sang and Baekhyun realized just how beautiful his voice was, in that moment, all feelings of animosity melted away. Eyes closed, suddenly rivalry didn’t matter anymore.

It came to Baekhyun’s part and the transition was seamless as he picked up the harmony and continued it with a powerful ad lib. The chorus then kicked in where Kyungsoo joined back and Baekhyun was honestly shocked at how well their voices blended together. There were some parts during Baekhyun’s later verses where Kyungsoo harmonized with him in the background, which made Baekhyun sink even deeper into the song and their voices.

_Fuck, they actually sounded really good together._

By the end, Kyungsoo finished the song with a soft ad lib, and only when the music stopped did Baekhyun realize he actually had his eyes closed for the last few lines.

“Okay! That was really good. Kyungsoo I loved that little run you did after the third verse, great job there.”

_Agreed._

Baekhyun mentally slapped himself the moment that thought entered his mind. He couldn’t actually start liking Kyungsoo just because he liked his voice, that just wasn’t how the universe was supposed to operate.

_Who cared if the egghead had the voice of a sexy angel, he was still his threat and a downright prick._

* * *

 

“We’re practically best friends!" 

Baekhyun forced out the most natural laugh he could fake as he threw his arm around Kyungsoo, smiling through the mortifying pain. Normally, Baekhyun loved promotions and variety appearances. But that was when he was alone.

Kyungsoo laughed along as well, though he just maintained his posture with his hands folded in front of him. Baekhyun noted that though he didn’t look it, Kyungsoo was actually pretty solid with toned shoulders.

 _Interesting_.

“That’s so nice to hear! Hopefully this will stop the fanwars going on. Now, you 2 are currently working on a project together right?”

“Yes yes, it’ll come out soon as we’re still working on it and have yet to film the music video as well. But it’s something we’re both very excited about and we’re sure the fans will be as well. It’s the perfect summer song to dance to, and it shows off both of our styles and colours really well.”

Baekhyun had memorized his speech just a few moments before the show, and was rather proud of himself for saying it without a hitch.

Kyungsoo, as usual, was more quiet which meant Baekhyun had to be the one to step up more and answer the questions more enthusiastically.

_Lazy egg._

The MC asked about 2-3 more generic questions before wrapping up the interview segment of the show. Baekhyun was glad the show was pre recorded and not live, as that meant more breaks and more importantly, he didn’t have to keep up his charade of being chummy with Kyungsoo throughout the show.

It was a new cooking show that Junmyeon only told Baekhyun about a few weeks ago. Once word had gotten out that Do Kyungsoo and Byun Baekhyun were collaborating, nearly every variety show in the country wanted to get them on. Baekhyun hadn’t been this high in demand since the peak of his career a few years back when he really hit it big with his song “Beauty”, which skyrocketed him to incredulous fame and success.

_Yes, good old days before the egghead came along._

The next set for the cooking segment was currently being set up, and both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were having their make up retouched.

“Okay, so you know how it goes right? Play nice, no bullying, no snide remarks. To the world, you 2 are best friends. Got it?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes at how Junmyeon always nagged him like a mother, but nodded nonetheless. His makeup was touched up in less than a minute (Baekhyun prided himself in his natural beauty and flawless skin). Kyungsoo, on the other hand, had a few trouble spots which required a bit more attention.

“What exactly happens in this segment again?”

Jongdae was on his phone and looked up at Kyungsoo’s question.

“Oh, well you guys are given a specific challenge, like a dish to make, and you have a set time to prepare it together. That’s it really.”

“That’s it? Hm, sounds alright.”

“I’d say we take the comedy route. Maybe I can accidentally break something, or lose some ingredient.”

“Isn’t it a competition with the other hosts of the show?”

“Yeah, but it’s variety. You’re supposed to be funny on variety.”

“I’m not going to purposely make a fool of myself on television.”

Baekhyun scoffed (something he’d been doing a lot whenever he held a conversation with egghead), walking up to Kyungsoo who was seated in his makeup chair.

“The whole point of a variety show is to show your personality, and most of the time people love a hilarious guy. They’d take that over a boring guy any day.”

“Alright, starting in 5! Everyone please come on set!”

Baekhyun smirked at the announcement which cut Kyungsoo off before he could respond.

_This was actually good._

Now Baekhyun could look like the more lovable guy while Kyungsoo looked like a stick in the mud next to him, and he didn’t even have to do anything other than just be himself.

_Kyungsoo was his own sabotage. It was brilliant._

* * *

“Mmmmm-”

Baekhyun bit his tongue from shouting out a series of expletives as he wiped the tears from his eyes 

“I really hate onions.”

Glancing over, Baekhyun didn’t fail to catch the small smirk on Kyungsoo’s lips.

_Bitch put him in charge of chopping the onions._

“How’s it coming along?”

“Fine fine, everything’s going just fine.” Baekhyun replied as he spastically tried to blink away the stinging sensation.

One of the cameramen came up to their station and closed-up on Baekhyun’s onions.

“Kyungsoo put me in charge of cutting the onions. I think he just wanted to see my cry, because it’s a pretty rare sight.” Baekhyun laughed as the cameraman focused on his red eyes.

“What dish are you guys preparing?”

Baekhyun glanced at the commentator behind the cameraman who had asked the question.

“Doenjang Stew. I’ve never made it before, but Kyungsoo has had some experience so I’m just following his orders for today. As you can see, between the two of us, Kyungsoo is the only one who actually has a clue what he’s doing!”

As Baekhyun cheekily laughed and glanced at his partner, he noticed the latter smiling slightly though he was still focused on shelling the shrimp.

He actually looked pretty cute with those big round glasses and his apron.

“Ow!”

Baekhyun yelped as the knife sliced the tip of his index finger.

“Oh! Baekhyun-ssi, are you alright?”

Sucking on his finger, Baekhyun nodded at the commentator as the sting subsided to a dull throb.

“Hahaha, see what I mean? I’m a disaster in the kitchen. It’s alright, thankfully it’s just a small cut.”

A staff member rushed onto the set with a first-aid box, which amused Baekhyun slightly seeing as to how they were responding as if he had just cut off his hand when in all honestly it was just a small graze.

As the young man bandaged his finger, the cameraman went over to Kyungsoo, who upon noticing it, chuckled softly.

“I was wondering how long it would be until he got into some kind of accident.”

Baekhyun scoffed indignantly, which made Kyungsoo chuckle even more.

“Kyungsoo-ssi, you seem to be really skilled in the kitchen. Do you cook a lot?”

“Oh, yes it’s one of my hobbies. From young I always watched my mother cook in the kitchen, so it became one of my interests. I’m not that good though, I just always like learning.”

Baekhyun had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

_As usual, trying to act all humble._

Once Baekhyun was bandaged up, he returned to chopping the garlic next and the cameraman just filmed them quietly from different angles. Kyungsoo was too focused on what he was doing to talk, other than giving out instructions every now and then, and Baekhyun knew they were going to end up looking boring.

_Time for him to shine._

Baekhyun had this incredulous idea to start up a story of the 2 of them that never really happened, which would just make Kyungsoo befuddled and allow Baekhyun to have some fun. He was thinking of something scandalous, like Kyungsoo showering with him or something. However, before he could execute his ingenious plan, Kyungsoo held up a spoonful of the broth with mixed vegetables and blew on it.

“Baekhyun-ah, just try this and see if it needs more salt.”

Baekhyun blinked at the egghead, who was holding the spoon in front of him, his other hand cupped underneath in case of spillage. Kyungsoo just blinked back expectantly.

_Was egghead really trying to feed him?_

_Hmmm…_

Baekhyun felt slightly put off by his gesture, but the cameraman was still filming them so he had no choice but to give in and taste the broth.

“Is it alright?” Kyungsoo asked as he gently slid the spoon into Baekhyun’s mouth.

_Fuck, why was he being so soft and charming?_

FUCK.

At first Baekhyun thought it tasted quite alright, perhaps just a pinch of salt more needed, but then suddenly, a familiar foul taste hit him.

“Augh!”

Baekhyun wretched and grabbed a glass of water, gargling his mouth as violently as possible before spitting it out in the sink.

Kyungsoo’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, as did everyone else on set.

“Oh my god, is there cucumber in this?”

Kyungsoo looked baffled as ever as he nodded slowly, his eyes bulging and his hand holding the spoon still in the air.

“Baekhyun-ssi, are you alright?”

“Ahh, I really hate cucumber. Really really hate it. Wahhhh.”

Baekhyun took another gulp of water as Kyungsoo continued to stare at him in confusion.

“You hate cucumber?”

“Yeah! Everyone knows I hate cucumber. Why the hell did you put cucumber in? When did you even put it in? I swear I didn’t see any cucumber around here.”

Kyungsoo finally unfroze and turned back to the stove, tasting the broth for himself now.

“Who hates cucumber?”

Baekhyun shot Kyungsoo a dirty look, though it came off more like a playful glare to anyone else watching.

“ME! I hate it! Ah you should’ve told me you were going to put cucumbers in.”

“I didn’t know you hated cucumber. My mum always used cucumber instead of zucchini, it was her special technique so I decided to try it today.”

The aftertaste of the cucumber hit Baekhyun once again, making him cringe and smack his lips repeatedly.

Kyungsoo was so obviously trying to cover up his laugh as he watched Baekhyun pull the ugliest faces, and softly patted his shoulder.

“Sorry Baekhyun, I promise next time I won’t put in cucumber.”

_Next time?!_

* * *

 “I’m telling you, he did it on purpose.”

Junmyeon sighed as they reached the amusement park, looking at Baekhyun through the rear view mirror. He was currently frowning intensely with his arms crossed, also known as his typical “stupid egghead” stance 

“For the last time, maybe he genuinely didn’t know because the only time you talked about your cucumber hatred was in passing on that one radio show ages ago. Besides, everyone loved that segment, they found it hilarious. Now would you please let it go, it’s been over a week.”

“NEVER.”

With pursed lips and a silent prayer to Mother Nature for the ground to swallow him up, Junmyeon got out of the car and opened the door for Baekhyun.

“Come on.”

“Nope. I’m not going until you acknowledge he’s a conniving dick.”

Junmyeon rolled his eyes and reached over, unbuckling Baekhyun’s seatbelt.

“He’s the world’s biggest conniving dick, now come on. We’re already late.”

Today was the first day of filming the music video. The plot had something to do with Kyungsoo and Baekhyun being friends and chasing after the same girl, and for some reason Baekhyun could not really understand, they were chasing after her in an amusement park.

“Alright, so you 2 have just bought ice cream for the girl and you’re trying to convince her to pick your one and not the other’s. So just, be natural with it. Remember, it’s a cheeky concept so don’t be afraid to do whatever you want. We’re trying to get authentic shots so be as natural as you are.”

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo both nodded at the director as their hair stylists touched them up. It was a pretty hot day and truthfully, Baekhyun just wanted to devour the strawberry flurry he was currently holding. But alas…

“And, action!”

The song started playing and the heroin of the music video entered the shot, walking normally in a pretty pink dress as she texted on her phone. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo then ran up to her in the pre-chorus verse, alternating between their parts as they acted out their battle over the girl.

Baekhyun knew how exactly to work his charm, making the right facial expressions and gestures to make even the actress swoon for a moment. Kyungsoo on the other hand, was more reserved but had subtle actions and expressions that made even Baekhyun swoon.  

“Cut!”

The girl was just about to pick Baekhyun’s ice cream (making him the winner) when the director intervened.

_Damn it._

“It’s a really upbeat and fun song, Kyungsoo-ssi, please try to be a bit more emotive and let loose more, like Baekhyun. Remember, cheeky and fun concept. Okay?”

“Yes Sir, understood.”

Baekhyun smirked as they got back to their beginning positions.

_Heh._

“Okay, from the top. And… action!”

The girl reenacted her same walk, and when it was their cue, Kyungsoo suddenly went fully into character, pulling all sorts of “wannabe-cool” faces which suited the lyrics and the scene perfectly.

Baekhyun was shook.

It was like a switch was flipped the minute Kyungsoo went into character.

He was being all silly and goofy, the complete opposite of what Baekhyun always saw from him.

As they switched back and forth between getting the girl’s attention on either side of her, somewhere along the way it was no longer acting as they genuinely started to try to one up each other.

When the girl’s focus turned to Baekhyun, Kyungsoo would grab the back of his neck and pull him away, inserting himself next to her instead.

When the girl then focused on Kyungsoo as he sang to her, Baekhyun would step on the back of Kyungsoo’s shoe, making him stumble forward.

It was becoming less of a professional music video shoot and more of a scene out of some bad slapstick comedy.  

“Okay! Cut!”

By the end, half the staff were in stitches as Kyungsoo had ice cream on his nose and Baekhyun was on the ground holding onto Kyungsoo’s leg, both of them out of breath.

“That was brilliant, exactly what we needed. Good job fellows! Okay, check the gate!”

Kyungsoo offered his hand to help Baekhyun up. Baekhyun hesitated, looking at it with narrowed eyes.

The last time Kyungsoo offered him something, it didn’t really go so well. After cucumber-gate, Baekhyun didn’t trust Kyungsoo in the slightest.

The latter rolled his eyes when he realized Baekhyun was being stubborn.

“You’re still holding onto my leg, you know.”

Baekhyun realized that indeed, he was still clutching onto Kyungsoo’s leg like a koala and immediately let go, pushing himself off the ground as he cleared his throat awkwardly.

The pair headed over to the monitors to check their shots. Watching it back, Baekhyun realized they did look pretty hilarious, even Kyungsoo. It was exactly the kind of playfulness and cheekiness the director was aiming for, his satisfaction made clear by the gigantic smile on his face.

Kyungsoo was watching his shots intensely, as usual, the picture of discipline. Baekhyun would’ve rolled his eyes at his usual stoutness if he hadn’t noticed the blotch of ice cream still on his nose, making him look ridiculously adorable. 

Chuckling, Baekhyun absent-mindedly reached out and wiped off the ice cream, causing Kyungsoo to jump back and stare at him.

Baekhyun froze, realizing what he had just done, and tried to laugh it off though he wasn’t really succeeding at covering up his nervousness.

“You looked stupid, so, I just… I’m making you look less… stupid.”

Kyungsoo arched a brow as Baekhyun sniffled and pursed his lips, turning back to the monitor and crossing his arms as if nothing had happened.

_Stupid ice cream._

* * *

“Kyungsoo gasped, his lower lip trembling as Baekhyun tightened his grip on his hips. Slowly, he planted soft kisses down Kyungsoo’s neck, chuckling into his collarbone as he felt the latter’s hardness push against-“ 

“OH MY GOD. STOP IT. PLEASE. STOP!”

Junmyeon chuckled as he continued reading his screen, though this time quietly. Baekhyun banged his head against the window, cursing whoever created the internet.

“I’ll never understand this fanfiction thing. Seriously, people who write things like that need help.”

“It’s funny. Oh let your fans live, being shipped with Kyungsoo is just making you even more popular.”

In all honesty, Baekhyun was probably more annoyed by the fact that as Junmyeon was reading out that one piece of rather erotic fiction, he was actually imagining it in his head. Holding Kyungsoo and trailing kisses down his neck.

What frustrated Baekhyun even more was that the thought was actually turning him on.

_Fuck his constantly-raging gay hormones._

“How can anyone ship me with him? That’s repugnant. I’d never touch him in a million years with a barge pole.” Baekhyun scoffed, crossing his arms.

Junmyeon raised a brow, watching his employer amusedly through the rear view mirror.

“Repugnant? That’s a big word. That’s also a word Kyungsoo used last time.”

“So? What’re you getting at? So now Kyungsoo owns words? Fuck you, I’ll use repugnant if I want to use repugnant.”

Junmyeon chuckled at Baekhyun’s defensiveness, knowing exactly what was happening.

“I’m just saying… you were paying really close attention to him when he used that word. Couldn’t take your eyes off his lips, could you? OW!”

Baekhyun had smacked the side of his manager’s head with his water bottle, a murderous look in his eyes.

“Do you want to be jobless on the streets?”

It was another 20 minutes until they reached their company’s building. Today was the day they learnt the stage choreography for their song. Baekhyun had already watched the demo piece sent in the previous night. It looked pretty intense, much harder than any choreography he had ever done before.

But if there was one thing Baekhyun loved, it was taking on a challenge. He was always known more for his vocals than his dance skills, but he had made a promise to himself to be the most all-rounded artist possible, which meant he was going to work his ass off to be the best dancer he could be.

Walking into the studio, Baekhyun looked around to see the familiar faces of his backup dancers, as well as some new ones whom he assumed to be from Kyungsoo’s side.

The egghead was currently stretching with some of his dancers, dressed in a simple black tee and black sweatpants. Baekhyun gulped, noticing just how well the shirt and sweatpants looked on him. He wasn’t incredibly muscular or toned by any means, but boy was he still fit.

_God, those fucking hormones again._

Baekhyun sighed, knowing today was going to be long.

 _Really_ _long_.

* * *

“Alright, let’s end here for today. Everyone please go back and rest well, we’ll finish up the last segment tomorrow."

Baekhyun let out a shout of exasperation as they were finally dismissed, doubling over and resting his palms on his knees. His head was throbbing, his limbs were sore as ever and his lungs were burning from how much he was panting.

As all the backup dancers dispersed to get their things, Baekhyun took a couple of seconds to collect himself before standing back up and patting some of his friends on their backs as they passed him, quietly commending them for their hard work.

Baekhyun headed over to his stuff and dropped onto the ground, grabbing his vitamin drink and chugging it down desperately. Calling it his most intense choreo ever was an understatement. He already knew it was going to be a nightmare trying to perform it while singing live. Then again, that just meant he was going to have to practice the routine until it was like breathing.

“Are you taking the car back now?”

Junmyeon came over and passed a towel to him, which Baekhyun was ever grateful for.

“Nah, I think I’m going to practice for a few more hours. Are you going to be here?”

“Yeah, I have a couple of meetings and errands to run. Just call me when you’re done then, alright?”

Baekhyun nodded quietly, wiping the back of his neck.

It took a few minutes for all the backup dancers to finally stream out of the practice room. In the meanwhile, Baekhyun just sat and stabilized his breathing, his legs propping his arms up. All he wanted to do was just head back to his comfortable bed and sleep for about 6 days.

But he wouldn’t be where he was today if that was the kind of mentality he had.

_No, he was going to nail this routine by hook or by crook._

Baekhyun was too busy running through the steps and the music in his mind to notice that the room was finally empty, save for one person who startled him by plopping down next to him.

“You alright?”

Kyungsoo was flushed as well, his face glistening from all his sweat and his spiky short fringe practically drenched. Baekhyun was too tired to come up with some kind of catty reply. Honestly, he was too tired to even remember that he was supposed to hate this guy.

“Yeah, that is one fucking intense piece to say the least.” He panted out, leaning his head back to rest it against the mirror.

From his peripheral vision, he could make out Kyungsoo nod.

Throughout the practice, Kyungsoo was silent as usual, but Baekhyun caught glimpses of him struggling and messing up.

It was no secret that Kyungsoo wasn’t as good as Baekhyun when it came to dancing, which meant that if Baekhyun himself found the choreography hard, Kyungsoo must’ve found it killer.

“Yeah, singing it live is going to be a nightmare. I don’t know how they expect us to do all those jumps during the chorus. Especially the one part in the middle of the chorus where we’re on the ground.”

“FUCK that’s the worst. That’s the part where we really have to use our diaphragm to belt out those notes.”

“Which is going to be impossible when we’re doing all of that. Sometimes I feel like telling the choreographers to keep in mind we’re still vocalists who need to sing decently.”

“Right?!”

Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile as Kyungsoo chuckled at his exasperated reply. For some reason, this wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable like their previous encounters at all. Baekhyun just decided to pin it down to his exhaustion which prevented him from being his usual indignant self. 

“Are you staying back to practice some more as well?"

“Yeah, there’s some parts I’m still shaky at.”

Kyungsoo quietly nodded again, pushing up his glasses. It was at that moment that Baekhyun’s stomach thought it ideal to let out the loudest growl possible. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but laugh as Baekhyun’s eyes widened in embarrassment.

“Shut up.”

“Did you eat anything today?”

Baekhyun sighed, remembering his one pathetic protein shake in the morning. His fans had been talking about how cute he looked with his tummy. But Baekhyun didn’t want to be known as the idol with the cute little chubby stomach. So for the past few months, he had been dieting and working out religiously to achieve the fabulous abs he now had.

Needless to say, his fans practically died when he first revealed his new physique. Getting that kind of reaction just motivated him even more to maintain it.

“Yeah, of course.” Baekhyun replied as nonchalantly as possible, reaching over in his bag to take out a lunchbox.

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows shot up at the sight, making Baekhyun blink at him in confusion.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“What the hell is that?”

“It’s a perfectly healthy post-workout snack.”

Kyungsoo would have agreed or at least understood, had it not been for the fact that his “snack” was just 2 carrot sticks and a spoonful of avocado.

“That’s not a snack, that’s food for baby rabbits.”

“Hey.”

Baekhyun looked offended, but Kyungsoo didn’t care. Getting up, Kyungsoo walked over to his bag. Baekhyun scoffed indignantly and crunched on his perfectly delicious, vitamin-filled, avocado-covered carrot sticks.

“See, this is why I have abs and you don’t. So don’t insult my snacks.”

Kyungsoo returned with his own lunchbox, plopping back down and opening it to reveal kimchi fried rice. Just the sight made Baekhyun’s taste buds tingle, and then the scent hit him which practically made him salivate.

“That’s not food. This is food.” Kyungsoo pointedly said as he mixed the rice and vegetables.

Baekhyun quickly looked away and finished up his avocado-carrot delicacy, shaking his head.

“That’s carbs. That goes straight to your flabby belly. No wonder you look like a penguin.”

Baekhyun was done with his little snack and took a gulp of his vitamin drink, sighing in satisfaction.

“What’s the point of having abs if you’re just starving yourself. Don’t you know how unhealthy that is.”

“I am NOT starving myself.”

_“GrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRR.”_

Baekhyun squeezed his eyes shut as his stomach decided to be a noisy little bitch once more, again eliciting a chortle from Kyungsoo.

“Yeah, I can see that. Here.”

Baekhyun turned to find Kyungsoo softly blowing on a spoonful of rice before holding it up to him, his other hand cupping underneath just like the previous time.

“Oh no no no, I am NOT falling for that again. You can take your kimchi rice and fuck off.”

Baekhyun shuffled a few inches away from Kyungsoo, turning his head away dramatically though not before catching the latter rolling his eyes.

“There’s no cucumber in this, I promise. So unless you’re allergic to basic kimchi or fried rice, there’s no problem.”

Baekhyun shook his head once more, getting war flashbacks to the last time Kyungsoo fed him and made him want to actually die.

“Oh come on, stop being so dramatic. It’s just one spoon of rice. You’re starving. How are you going to practice more in this state?”

“I’m not starving.”

“Your stomach growled louder than a lion and you just ate baby food as a snack. Now stop being so stubborn, my arm’s already sore enough and now it’s hurting.”

Baekhyun turned back to see that he still had the spoonful of rice raised and his other hand cupped underneath.

_Fuck, it did look delicious though._

Baekhyun really loved rice.

_Oh heck, one spoonful wouldn’t cause his abs to vanish instantly._

Shooting one more suspicious glare at Kyungsoo, to which he just nodded reassuringly, Baekhyun opened his mouth. As Kyungsoo gently put the spoon into his mouth, just like last time, Baekhyun made the mistake of looking up and making eye contact 

That was when what exactly was happening registered with Baekhyun.

_Here they were._

_Alone._

_Kyungsoo feeding him._

Baekhyun had never seen someone look at him that gently before, except maybe his mother whenever he went home and she hugged him.

Baekhyun slowly chewed on the rice, his eyes still locked with Kyungsoo’s stupidly-cute round ones. There was something about the way Kyungsoo was looking at him right now which made Baekhyun feel very terrified, but at the same time paradoxically, incredibly safe.

“Well, how is it?”

Baekhyun blinked out of his thoughts once he realized Kyungsoo was actually looking at him for an answer.

“Oh, yeah, it’s really good. Did you make this yourself?”

Kyungsoo’s lips formed a small smile of satisfaction and pride as he nodded, mixing up the kimchi with the rice even more.

“Yup, it was a new recipe I found last night. It’s really interesting, where instead of just using sesame seeds as the garnishing, once the rice and other ingredients have been mixed, you-“

Kyungsoo went on to excitedly talk about some things Baekhyun really didn’t care about. But that didn’t matter. He looked so hopelessly adorable in that moment, talking with quiet passion and earnestness that Baekhyun never expected to see come from him.

It was in that moment (where he realized that he actually really enjoyed listening to Kyungsoo’s soothing voice and watching his lips move and noticing how he pushed his glasses up every few seconds and looking into his dark brown eyes and wishing Kyungsoo would just feed him for every meal) that Baekhyun concluded he was thoroughly fucked.

* * *

It was the night before the release of their track. The music video was done. The song was ready. They had practiced the choreography at least a thousand times. But right now, this was always the most overwhelming part of the process for Baekhyun. 

_The calm before the storm._

It was always a hurricane of emotions- excitement, nervousness, anticipation, pride, worry…

 _Fear_.

Baekhyun found himself sitting quietly, running his index finger along the rim of his glass as the most intense feeling he was experiencing at the moment was fear.

He hated himself for always letting his thoughts go into “what ifs”.

_What if the public didn’t like the song?_

_What if it didn’t live up to the fans’ expectations?_

_What if they just didn't do well enough?_

“What’s wrong?”

Baekhyun snapped out of his thoughts and looked up to find Kyungsoo peering at him from opposite the table.

Junmyeon and Jongdae had taken the 2 of them to some famous BBQ restaurant to celebrate their collaboration about to be released.

Yet at some point along the night, Baekhyun was too caught up with his thoughts that he didn’t even realize that their 2 managers had disappeared.

“Where did those 2 go?”

“Restroom.”

“Together?”

Kyungsoo shrugged as he continued to grill the pork belly.

“What happened to your diet and abs?” Kyungsoo asked, the corner of his lips slightly upturned.

Baekhyun sighed and shoved a piece of bulgogi in his mouth, replying through his chews.

“One night isn’t going to kill me. It’s my cheat day.”

Kyungsoo pursed his lips and paused his grilling as Baekhyun talked, causing the latter to freeze mid-chew.

“What?”

“Don’t do that. It’s gross.”

“Do what?”

“Talk with your mouth full. And chew so loudly.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and chewed even more loudly and emphatically, making Kyungsoo groan.

“Fuck you, I’ll chew loudly if I want to.”

“Such an uncultured youth.” Kyungsoo shook his head as he continued to grill the pork.

Baekhyun chose to ignore that comment as he downed a shot of soju, enjoying the burn in his throat.

“You didn’t answer me when I asked what was wrong.”

Baekhyun didn’t think Kyungsoo would’ve caught onto that.

_But of course, trust the sneaky little egg to be, well, you know, sneaky._

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just the usual jitters. I mean don’t you get nervous before you release something?”

Kyungsoo was finally done grilling and leaned back comfortably, rubbing the back of his neck in thought.

“Yeah, I guess. But more than nervous, I’m always excited to see how everyone would react. Especially if it’s something I’m really proud of, like this song.”

Baekhyun quirked a brow.

“You? Excited? You mean… you’re capable of some kind of happy emotion? Wow, it has feelings!”

Kyungsoo shook his head with a faint smile on his lips as Baekhyun laughed at his own joke.

“Yeah yeah, laugh all you want. Just because I don’t jump around and yell like you, doesn’t mean I’m not capable of being excited or happy.”

“The best part about excitement is the jumping around. You’re a strange little man.”

“As if you’re that much taller.”

If Baekhyun wasn’t so busy trying to find the wittiest replies to Kyungsoo’s sardonic ones, he would’ve probably caught 2 certain managers standing outside the restroom just a few feet away, observing the both of them with folded arms and amused smirks.

He may have even caught Jongdae asking Junmyeon, “Do you think they know they’re falling in love?”

And heck, if the place was a little quieter, he may have even caught Junmyeon’s hushed answer.

“For both our careers and theirs, let’s hope they don’t.”

* * *

It was the day of their first live stage. 

Their song and music video had been released the previous night, and not to anyone’s surprise, absolutely massacred all of the charts. After 3 months of preparation and practice and hard work, their collaboration was finally out and man did the public love it.

Baekhyun had never felt this proud and happy since his debut when the public first praised him. His fans and Kyungsoo’s fans were going insane, calling it the collab of the century. But while the song was getting so much positive feedback and appraisal, that also meant there was even more pressure on them to perform it as best they could.

_They couldn’t afford to fuck up._

Baekhyun had done this countless times before, but for some reason, he was still as nervous as ever, as if he was performing live for the first time.

The stage was at a special concert outside of Seoul, which meant a long drive. For some reason, Jongdae and Junmyeon decided to head there together with both teams, even though for every other schedule up until then they were always separate. Baekhyun also didn’t miss the fact that they decided to even take the same car, with themselves sitting in the front and Baekhyun and Kyungsoo sitting together at the back.

Not only that, but their bodyguards were sitting in the middle seats that were separated, meaning that Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were literally all the way at the back, sitting arm to arm.

Baekhyun grimaced as he watched Junmyeon and Jongdae laugh in the front and sneak glances at them in the rear view mirror.

_Bitches._

They knew exactly what they were doing, and so did Baekhyun.

_Funny, one would think the last thing managers would want for their clients would be to get tangled up in some kind of mess that could lead to scandals._

_But nope._

Jongdae and Junmyeon were 2 peas in a pod when it came to being complete dipshits who’d rather have shits and giggles than take their job seriously.

Baekhyun was just staring out of the window, watching the houses and streetlights zoom past as he let out a large yawn.

Next to him, Kyungsoo had his headphones in and was reading some book. Baekhyun cursed himself once more for forgetting his headphones back at home.

_Honestly, the worst thing ever._

Baekhyun sighed out of boredom and started playing with his fingers, wondering why the fuck he didn’t bring along anything to do on a 4-hour long car ride.

Kyungsoo noticed Baekhyun’s restlessness and looked up at him. Quietly, and without Baekhyun even realizing, he took out one bud from his ear and put it in Baekhyun’s ear, making the latter jolt in surprise.

“You looked really bored.”

Kyungsoo just went back to reading his book, and Baekhyun realized that the song he was listening to was Like Rain, Like Music; one of Baekhyun’s absolute favourite songs.

“You like this song too?”

Kyungsoo looked back at him and pushed up his rounded specs.

“Yeah. It’s a classic. And it’s especially ideal for car rides.”

Baekhyun smiled at his answer, thinking about how that was the first song he himself always listened to in the car.

Allowing the soothing rhythm of the song to overtake his senses as he closed his eyes and leaned back, Baekhyun drowned himself in the captivating voice of Kim Hyun Sik.

“Alright boys, we’re here.”

Baekhyun had no idea when exactly he dozed off (he guessed it was probably to farewell review, another favourite of his that happened to be on Kyungsoo’s playlist.)

Baekhyun groggily rubbed his eyes, but just as he was about to stretch his stiff body, a weight on his right shoulder made him freeze.

Turning his head, the tickles of hair on his chin reaffirmed what he was suspecting.

There, head resting on his shoulder and chest rising and falling softly, was a sleeping Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun gulped, his heart doing a choreography more intense than their own, as he watched Kyungsoo sleep peacefully with his arms folded and his glasses low on the bridge of his nose.

“Come on.”

Baekhyun jumped and turned to find Jongdae sliding open the door for him, a huge smirk appearing once he realized he had caught Baekhyun staring at Kyungsoo sleeping on his shoulder.

Awkwardly clearing his throat, Baekhyun sat up straight and shrugged his shoulder.

“Yah, wake up!”

Kyungsoo’s head slowly lifted at Baekhyun’s booming voice. Jongdae’s stupid smirk was still plastered on his face as Baekhyun unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out of the car as if it was on fire.

“Well you guys looked comfortable back there.”

Baekhyun looked at the unnecessarily-cheery man who had his arms folded smugly, and shot him the nastiest glare he could.

“There’s a special place in hell reserved for you and Junmyeon Hyung.”

* * *

 

“Now, please enjoy these advertisements from our sponsors. And don’t go anywhere, because after the break, we are joined by the hottest celebrities of the moment, Do Kyungsoo and Byun Baekhyun, so stick around!”

Baekhyun quickly glanced through the papers to get a brief overview of the programme, though he more or less already knew what was in store.

He’d been on this particular radio show numerous times before. He knew the drill.

_General discussion about the song._

_Comments from fans._

_Questions about the song._

_Questions about them personally._

_Some challenge or quiz or game._

Schedules that involved radio shows were always one of Baekhyun’s favourites as they were the most relaxed compared to other forms of promotions such as performing or variety shows. All he had to do was sit and talk, which was peanuts for him.

It was Kyungsoo’s turn to give the general introduction about the song. As he spoke out the speech which both of them had memorized by this point, Baekhyun nodded along almost robotically in agreement to whatever Kyungsoo was saying. The radio show went on normally, with the usual adoring comments from fans being read out and the 2 taking turns to answer questions about the production of the song and how they felt about it.

_It was nothing out of the blue, just typical promotion mumbo._

That was, until it came to the segment that was about both of them personally.

“Now, you two have been known to be sort of rivals in the industry before this collaboration. Some say that this whole duet is just a way to put an end to fanwars and show a united front between you two. Is that true? Or were you actually friends beforehand?”

Kyungsoo didn’t look like he was intending to answer at all, which made Baekhyun run through the question in his head once more as he quickly formulated the most diplomatic, neutral answer he could.

“Hmm, yes well, to be honest, Kyungsoo and I weren’t really friends before this. Not because of anything else other than the fact that we just never met or knew each other. But once we started working on this project, I think Kyungsoo would agree with me that we both indeed got closer and became really good friends!”

_Ah yes, thank you Lee Noona for all that publicity-speaking training._

Kyungsoo was just quietly nodding along to whatever Baekhyun was saying. At the last sentence, Baekhyun laughed and shot him a cheeky smile, to which Kyungsoo genuinely smiled back as Baekhyun bumped his shoulder against his in a teasing manner.

What was odd to Baekhyun was he was supposed to confidently say that they were just being fake at the moment, but instead, he honestly had no idea just how blurred the line between their on-screen fakeness and genuine relationship got.

“Ahh, that’s so nice to hear. Well, because of this, we decided to have a special segment for you both called ‘I confess’, where you each express a confession to each other.”

 _Fuck_.

Baekhyun hadn’t noticed that part of the programme when he flipped through the papers. They hadn’t prepared for this before-hand, but Baekhyun also knew he was really good with coming up with answers on the spot, so this wouldn’t be too bad.

“Let’s start with Baekhyun-ssi. Can you give one confession to Kyungsoo-ssi. Something you’re perhaps guilty of or want to apologise for? Maybe a secret that you now want to let out?”

Baekhyun deliberated for a few seconds, pretty aware of Kyungsoo just looking at him expectantly. Finally, he decided to just go with the truth.

“Honestly, before this project, I was rather jealous of Kyungsoo-ssi. I confess that I would see him get all these movie roles and be like, wow, I wish I could be as cool and as good at acting as him. I’m even a bit jealous of his voice because he really suits R&B well, a genre I’m not that good at.”

Baekhyun was being honest, even if only partially. The full truth was Baekhyun wasn’t jealous because he thought Kyungsoo was cool, Baekhyun was jealous because he thought Kyungsoo didn’t deserve the success he had.

_Of course, that wouldn’t sound very good on a national radio broadcast._

At the same time, in retrospect, Baekhyun realized how immature he was actually being bad then, because in all honesty Kyungsoo was indeed pretty fucking cool when it came to acting.

_Yeah, that’s right, Baekhyun decided to check out some of his other dramas recently (it was curiosity, nothing to do with Kyungsoo’s handsome face or anything) and actually enjoyed most of them._

“Ahhh, it’s okay! Jealousy is only normal, that was a very sincere confession from Baekhyun-ssi to Kyungsoo-ssi. Kyungsoo-ssi, do you have anything to say to that?”

Kyungsoo blinked for a few seconds in thought before turning to Baekhyun with a small smile.

“I never knew he felt that way honestly. Being his junior in the industry, I always looked up to him and hoped to be like him. I’m quite surprised to hear this from him, but I’m also pretty honoured. Don’t be jealous, Baekhyun-ssi. You’re 20 times cooler than me.”

“Only 20?” Baekhyun teased, making both Kyungsoo and the radio host laugh.

“Alright, Kyungsoo-ssi, your turn. A confession for Baekhyun-ssi?”

Baekhyun watched Kyungsoo closely as he waited for an answer, not really knowing what to expect as the latter smiled sheepishly and slowly rubbed his forehead.

“Um, remember that cooking show we went on where I accidentally fed you the cucumber, well, I confess-”

“AH HA! I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE!”

Baekhyun had jumped up in his seat and proceeded to smack Kyungsoo’s arm with every word, making Kyungsoo both wince but also smile guiltily.

“Ahhhh, we all thought that was an accident. So you knew and actually planned that, Kyungsoo-ssi?”

Baekhyun folded his arms as Kyungsoo rubbed his arm and turned back to the radio host determinedly.

“Wait wait, to be fair, Baekhyun was the one who had the idea to do something funny to try to make the show interesting since it’s variety. So I was just going along with his plan.”

“Oh no don’t you put the blame on me now. Wow, I’ve never experienced betrayal this great. I am deeply hurt.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t stop laughing now that the cat was out of the bag and Baekhyun sounded like a truly offended middle-aged housewife. But even as Baekhyun continued to rant about his trust issues and traumatized taste buds after that day, it was hard to miss the giant beam on his face that didn’t falter for a single second as they recounted the incident.

Baekhyun himself had no idea why he was enjoying this so much, or why he found it hilarious when at that time he was truly traumatised. Perhaps it was the fact that the radio host was just really good at creating a fun, comfortable atmosphere. But Baekhyun knew deep down it was probably more due to the fact that he had never seen Kyungsoo smile and laugh this much as the two bickered over that fucking cucumber.

It was a sight that Baekhyun decided he really liked, and really wanted to see more of.

_Another thought that was added to his collection of “fuck-I’m-in-deep-shit-with-these-feelings” thoughts._

Finally, it was reaching the end of the radio show, which meant either a challenge or some game. Baekhyun was praying it was anything but that fucking gwiyeomi game.

_He loved his fans to death, but every time he had to do aegyo for them, he wished he was never born._

“Okay, the final segment for today’s show is another special for our 2 guests, called Musical Magic! It’s a special challenge that tests the coordination of our 2 young idols, and how well they can match their musical abilities.”

_Ah…_

Baekhyun already knew this was going to be interesting.

It was also going to go either really well or really badly.

“Baekhyun-ssi, you’re a master when it comes to the piano right? The challenge today will be for Baekhyun-ssi to come up with a tune on the piano, and Kyungsoo-ssi has to come up with a melody and sing along to Baekhyun-ssi’s piano accompaniment. But the trick is, you have to coordinate with each other without words.”

_Ah fuck._

This sounded like it was going to be a disaster.

“Wow, yah isn’t this too much? That sounds impossible.” Baekhyun joked even though he actually meant it.

_How the fuck were they going to come up with a song together without even being able to speak to each other?_

_Blinking morse code???_

Baekhyun laughed nervously as a keyboard was brought into the studio, and he noticed Kyungsoo look a bit lost and hesitant as well despite his small forced smile.

_Ok, let’s just go simple._

The minute the keyboard was set in front of him, Baekhyun began playing with the keys, trying to decide which chords were the best. Keeping in mind Kyungsoo’s voice which had more baritone than tenor in it, Baekhyun decided to stick to the middle-range chords. Kyungsoo also tended to stretch his ad-libs into runs, which meant Baekhyun had to go with smooth melodies instead of staccatos.

_Wow, when the fuck did he know so much about Kyungsoo’s style and voice?_

_Oh yeah, that’s right, they did a song together._

As Baekhyun tested out some chords, he looked up to Kyungsoo questioningly. Kyungsoo watched his fingers dance across the keyboard, humming soft melodies to himself first before testing them out loud as he tried to match to the rhythm Baekhyun was creating.

To anyone else, it looked like just a man playing random notes on the piano and another man singing random melodies. But to the 2 singers, they were communicating more intensely than ever, through Kyungsoo’s voice and Baekhyun’s fingers.

Kyungsoo established a rhythmic melody which Baekhyun quickly caught on to. It was simple, a kind of typical melody found in jazzy, R&B tunes which Baekhyun was really good at playing.

Finally, after a few tries and tests, the 2 managed to find a sort of harmony between Kyungsoo’s ad lib runs and Baekhyun’s chord progressions.

“Wahhh, this is true talent right here everyone. Within a few minutes itself, and without saying any words, Kyungsoo-ssi and Baekhyun-ssi were able to get on the same musical wavelength and come up with a smooth tune together. I must say, Baekhyun-ssi’s piano style really suits Kyungsoo-ssi’s voice very well. Wow, I’m blown away!”

Kyungsoo continued his “doo-doo’s” and “whoa-ooo” runs to Baekhyun’s piano melody as the radio host commended them in the background. Now that they had established a fixed rhythm and melody, the 2 began to have fun with their little song, making it more dynamic and playing around with both their notes and their voice respectively.

As they kept this up, somewhere along the way the two made eye contact, both with wide grins on their faces. Baekhyun had no idea what Kyungsoo was thinking or how he was feeling, but he did know that he himself felt the strongest connection in that moment that transcended mere words or actions.

Music was probably the most important part of Baekhyun’s life, and never before had he felt such a strong musical connection to anyone compared to what was happening right now.

Right now, there was no studio or radio hosts or photographers documenting their session or smirking managers watching them from the side or anything of that sort.

_Right now, there was just Baekhyun and Kyungsoo making music together._

_And honestly, in that moment nothing else was needed._

_In that moment, nothing else existed._

* * *

“And Song of the Year goes to…. You Plus Me by Do Kyungsoo and Byun Baekhyun!” 

Baekhyun burst into a beam as the whole venue roared in applause. Standing up together with Kyungsoo, the 2 made their way to the main stage, both bowing deeply to the hosts and Kyungsoo collecting their award. Baekhyun made his way to the microphone and took in the whole audience cheering on their feet.

“First of all, we’d just like to thank everyone who was involved with producing and writing this song. From our managers to the production team and choreographers and just, everyone who came together to make this possible. Thank you so much. And of course, thank you to our fans without whom neither of us would be here today, your support means everything to us and words cannot express how grateful we are.”

It was a typical speech, one that Baekhyun always gave with more or less the same flow, but that didn’t mean he was anything less than completely sincere when he said that he was truly grateful for his fans and team.

Baekhyun gave his warmest smile possible, trying to convey just how appreciative he was through it, and stepped aside to let Kyungsoo give his speech.

“Yes, I think Baekhyun-ssi covered it all. Again, thank you to everyone involved. And thank you to our parents as well, for always being our biggest supporters and source of strength. Baekhyun and I had a wonderful time doing this collaboration and we’re so humbled to see everyone enjoy what we put out. Thank you so much.”

Baekhyun clapped as Kyungsoo ended his speech and the two bowed once more as the music started playing again, which was the cue for them to leave the stage.

As the duo headed backstage, Baekhyun was filled with so much joy and excitement that he threw his arm around Kyungsoo, hugging him tightly from the side.

Kyungsoo was smiling wider than ever, passing the award to Baekhyun to hold. It was one of the biggest awards of the night, and Baekhyun was hoping so badly that they got it.

“We did it!”

It was a long journey, but Baekhyun could not have been prouder. They had worked so hard, and they got the fruits of their labour. Baekhyun’s mind was just a frenzy of happiness and pride, but amidst all his elatedness, he failed to notice a tinge of sadness in Kyungsoo’s eyes as he watched him celebrate their final award, which also meant the end of their collaboration.

* * *

Kyungsoo left 3 days after that award ceremony. 

He had just signed onto a new action film which was going to have parts shot in China.

Baekhyun had never felt so angry.

“He didn’t even tell me? What the fuck, I was going to take him to this special sushi place to celebrate our award. I saw him just 3 days ago and he didn’t fucking tell me.”

Junmyeon couldn’t help but smile as Baekhyun huffed like an angry little Chihuahua.

“You’re upset that he didn’t tell you that he was going overseas to film a movie?”

“Duh! That’s just common courtesy right? To tell someone?”

Junmyeon crossed his arms and observed the little flustered man closely. He may have been his manager, but Junmyeon was also his friend, and knew the flustered celebrity pretty well.

“Why would he have to tell you?”

Baekhyun paused, his mouth agape as he tried to come up with some kind of reasonable answer.

Clearly, he was struggling.

“It’s just… decency.”

Junmyeon stared Baekhyun down, making the latter shift uncomfortably. Baekhyun hated whenever Junmyeon read him, and right now he was in full-on analysis mode.

“It’s funny, I thought you’d be more upset over the fact that Kyungsoo got the role for the movie you were hoping to get.”

_Oh fuck._

Baekhyun had completely forgotten that Kyungsoo had actually beat him to scoring the role. It was not like he didn’t care about it; he was just more pre occupied with the thought of having to cancel his reservation when he was really looking forward to going.

_Kyungsoo would have loved the futomaki._

“Do you know how hard it was to get that reservation?”

“Yes, I know, I’m the one who made it.”

Baekhyun sighed and dropped onto his couch, wishing it would just swallow him whole.

He knew what was happening. He knew why he was feeling this exasperated. And what pissed him off more was he knew that Junmyeon knew why he was acting this way.

Running his hand through his hair, Baekhyun looked up at Junmyeon with a pout, resigning himself to the cold hard truth.

“How the fuck did this happen Hyung?”

Junmyeon laughed and sat down next to Baekhyun, patting his knee affectionately.

“I believe it all started with an espresso.”

* * *

It took a few weeks of Baekhyun moping around and Junmyeon trying to talk sense into him for Baekhyun to finally admit that it was probably for the better that things worked out the way they did. The last thing he needed was for someone to be around that was a potential source of a devastating scandal or heartbreak at the worst, and at the best just a distraction. 

Baekhyun knew when he signed up for the job, that his love life would forever have to take the back seat.

_Didn’t mean he was happy about that._

Months passed, and Kyungsoo’s movie was finally released after half a year.

Baekhyun refused to watch it.

He wasn’t sure if the reason was because of his intense saltiness over the fact that Kyungsoo failed to contact him even once ever since they parted ways, or because he just couldn’t bring himself to watch the face he fell in l*ve with on screen for 2 whole hours.

Either way, Baekhyun had decided he moved on. It was a silly phase of unfounded infatuation, where he was just blinded by his hormones and made a temporary lapse in judgment.

_He was totally not in l*ve with Do Kyungsoo, and that was that._

Except, when he suddenly bumped into the culprit in question after 7 months at an after-party for a film festival, all those fucking feelings came flooding back and he cursed himself once the realization hit that he kind of still was.

“Baekhyun! Wow, it’s been so long!”

Baekhyun forced out the fakest smile he could, nodding along half-heartedly.

It was all so familiar to him. The fakeness. The feelings of animosity. The intense desire to just punch the egghead in the face.

_Just like the first time they met._

“Yeah! 7 months to be exact, but who’s counting right?”

They were currently in a really famous actor’s mansion, right in the middle of an insane party. With psychedelic lights and the reverberation of the music practically thumping through their bones, it was pretty hard for either of them to hear or see each other.

_Which Baekhyun was pretty grateful for, at the moment._

“This is madness! Can we go somewhere a little quieter to catch up?” Kyungsoo shouted over the music.

Baekhyun had heard him loud and clear, but that didn’t mean Kyungsoo had to know that.

“What? Sorry, can’t hear you. Too loud!”

Baekhyun was about to turn away when Kyungsoo stepped closer and grabbed his shoulder, leaning in so close that Baekhyun could literally smell his peppermint cologne.

“I said, do you want to go somewhere quieter to catch up?”

With Kyungsoo being this close, his hand on his shoulder and his scent being this musky, Baekhyun’s stupid hormones went into overdrive and before he knew it, he caught himself replying with a pathetic ‘sure’.

As the 2 made their way to the terrace, away from the dancing crowds and drinks and beats, their managers were catching up from the other side of the room, once again shaking their heads with knowing smiles as they watched the pair head up the stairs.

* * *

“So, uhm, how’ve you been?"

Baekhyun had his hands in his pockets and was currently just staring at his feet scuffling around, swaying slightly to the distant rhythm of the party going on below them.

“Alright. Same old same old.”

Baekhyun couldn’t see Kyungsoo’s reaction to his answer, but he could only assume he probably nodded since no spoken reply followed immediately.

“Ah, I see. That’s nice.”

An awkward silence followed, which meant the tension was so thick between them it was practically suffocating. Baekhyun hated this, but he bit his tongue as he remembered just how many dangerous thoughts were going through his mind which he couldn’t afford to let out.

“I heard your OST for that drama you recently released. It was really nice.”

Baekhyun nodded, his eyes still just fixed on his own shoes and his mouth still shut.

A few more seconds of awkward silence followed.

“I see you’re still keeping up your fitness, ho-“

“SEVEN MONTHS.”

_Fuck it._

_Baekhyun’s brain decided to just fuck it._

_This small talk was just too painful._

Baekhyun’s head snapped up as he let out his exclamation, catching Kyungsoo staring back at him in bewilderment.

“Wha-“

“7 fucking months Kyungsoo. Not a single word. Not even a hello, or what’s up. Nothing.”

Baekhyun knew he was treading through dangerous waters, but fuck, after 7 months he really couldn’t keep it in anymore. Kyungsoo still looked exactly the same. Nothing had changed, save for his hair being slightly longer. But his voice was still as sultry as ever, his lips still as painfully adorable and his eyes still as heart-stopping as Baekhyun remembered them to be.

“I… uh… I-“

Kyungsoo was so baffled he was actually stumbling over his words. It was the first time Baekhyun had seen him act this way, so unsure and so…. so nervous.

“I know we weren’t exactly the closest of friends. But fuck man, I thought we were at least buddies. Buddies don’t do that.”

_That was a lie._

Kyungsoo was not just a ‘buddy’ to Baekhyun.

But Baekhyun had enough control over his verbal diarrhea to not admit that out loud as well.

“No no, I swear I didn’t mean to offend you like that. It’s just…”

Kyungsoo scratched his head and breathed deeply, and Baekhyun held his breath as it looked like he was about to say something important.

“I didn’t think you wanted to hear from me. I thought…you know…I thought you didn’t like me.”

Baekhyun scoffed, planting his hands on his hips and shaking his head as he looked up at the sky.

“That’s your excuse? Really, after everything we had gone through. After all those months, you thought I still didn’t like you? I was planning to take you to fucking Shari-Den. Do you have any idea how hard it is to book that place as a high-profile person?”

“Y-You’re mad because you had to…cancel a reservation?”

“No, you egghead! Fuck Shari-Den, I just-“

Baekhyun had to bite the side of his cheek to stop himself from spilling any more. He was really in the deep end now, and one wrong word or move could fuck him over completely.

He had already expressed more than he wanted to.

“I’m…I’m really sorry. But to be fair, I waited for you as well. You didn’t contact me either.”

Baekhyun wanted to throw back a stinging retort, but realized he didn’t have any because Kyungsoo had a point.

“Yeah…well… not like you cared right?”

Baekhyun caught Kyungsoo’s jaw clench at that remark. It was pretty hot, but he was far too emotional at the moment to appreciate it properly.

“Do you want to know the truth, Baekhyun?”

_Fuck…_

_He probably didn’t…._

“For the whole 7 months, not a day went by where I didn’t think about you. I kept up with everything you did. I was so happy for you when you got your OST, and that part in that drama. I wanted nothing more than to just pick up the phone and talk to you and congratulate you. Just hear your voice. Just hear you say something stupid. I just wanted to hear... you.”

Baekhyun’s heart and mind were in overdrive. He didn’t even know if his brain was fully registering what all Kyungsoo was saying and more importantly, what it all meant. But he did register the last part, which made only one question jump out at him.

“Why didn’t you then?”

Kyungsoo sighed, looking over the terrace at the landscape of the city, the little lights of all the houses spreading out under the vast, moon-lit sky.

“You know why.”

It was then that Baekhyun heard it in his voice. Not only that, but he saw it in his face too. Under the pale lighting of the moon, he saw Kyungsoo’s expression and knew exactly what he was talking about.

_He did know why._

It was the same reason Baekhyun was too afraid to pick up the phone and call him either.

But he had to be certain.

_He had to be sure._

With 2 slow strides, Baekhyun was right in front of Kyungsoo. The latter didn’t move at all, though his chest starting heaving more as his breathing quickened. With their eyes locked, Baekhyun inched his head slowly towards Kyungsoo’s, making sure to give him ample time to react, move away, slap him, do anything really.

_But he didn’t._

Instead, he closed his eyes, and that was Baekhyun’s cue.

Kissing Kyungsoo was all Baekhyun could think about for the longest time. Imagining how his plump lips would feel, how it would be like to hold him so close and taste him.

_But kissing him was nothing like he imagined._

His lips weren’t sweet. Neither were they smooth. They were slightly chapped due to the dry wind atop the terrace. There was no particular taste, except perhaps a slight hint of mango from a cocktail he was drinking earlier. There were no explosions going off, no fireworks or ablaze hearts.

It wasn’t at all like a movie-dream kiss Baekhyun had always imagined.

Instead, it was gentle.

It was so soft and delicate, the way their lips moved against each other’s. It was warm, and it was comfortable.

_It was bliss._

Kyungsoo had his hand slightly resting on Baekhyun’s hip, while Baekhyun’s hand had somehow made its way up to the nape of Kyungsoo’s neck. It was a light kiss that only lasted a few seconds. When they pulled away, Baekhyun opened his eyes to find Kyungsoo flushed, his eyes still closed.

Kyungsoo took a step back after a few seconds, looking up at Baekhyun and taking in a deep breath. Baekhyun gulped, noticing how terrified he looked in that moment.

_And honestly, so was he._

“What’re we going to do?”

Baekhyun knew what Kyungsoo was talking about.

_2 idols in Korea coming out as gay and dating each other…. Not exactly the wisest move to make publicity-wise._

Baekhyun sighed and shrugged, putting his hands back in his pockets.

“I don’t know. We’re kind of fucked.”

Kyungsoo chuckled at Baekhyun’s straight-up deadpan answer, making the latter smile at how his cheeks were so squishy whenever he laughed.

“Our shippers would go insane if they found out.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened at the thought as he slowly shook his head.

“Can you imagine all the stories? All the fanart.”

“We don’t have to imagine, they’re all already out there.”

“True. I guess we could kind of get away with just continuing as we were. I mean if we just look at each other they’d think we’re dating. So might as well just do it anyway.”

Baekhyun smirked, knowing the direction in which Kyungsoo was heading, and loving it completely.

“I like the sound of that. Yeah, if you think about it, anything we do or anywhere we go would just be considered fan-shipper conspiracy theory or something right?”

Kyungsoo nodded and with a small smile, stuck out his hand.

“I guess, we gotta take one for the team, y’know? For the shippers.”

Baekhyun let out an amused laugh. In all honesty, he had no idea where this was going to go or how they were going to deal with this. Junmyeon and Jongdae would probably flip out if they found out, though he was pretty sure both of them shipped them as well (heck, they were the ones who caused this whole mess, technically). But right now, on a terrace under the moonlight, all Baekhyun wanted to think about was just how much he wanted to kiss Kyungsoo again. And with that thought, he grabbed the outstretched hand and shook it firmly. 

“For the shippers.”

 

 

 


End file.
